Montgomery, Ala. – Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. (GMC) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015-16 Can Do Good Competition are Davidson High School in Mobile, Ala., (9th-12th grade division) and the Youth Leadership Academy in Pickens, S.C., (kindergarten – 8th grade division).

GMC launched Can Do Good in 2009 to provide a hands-on learning experience that teaches students not only more about the architecture, engineering and construction industry, but also the importance of giving back to the community. The competition was open to elementary schools for the first time this year and was split into two divisions based on the grade levels of participating students. Previously the competition was only open to students in grades 8-12.

The students at Davidson High School designed a lighthouse to represent their location along the Gulf Coast of Alabama. They built their Can Do Good structure using approximately 600 canned goods they had collected during their school’s food drive, which were donated to Feeding the Gulf Coast. This was Davidson’s second year in a row to win the competition.

Youth Leadership Academy students collected cans during their school’s “Spirit Week,” with classes competing against one another to collect the most donations. As a whole, YLA collected more than 1,000 cans, which were donated to United Christian Ministries. YLA was inspired to create a design that paid tribute to Paris following the tragic attacks that occurred on Nov. 13, 2015. Students chose to demonstrate their respect and honor those who were wounded and lost their lives in the heartbreaking event by constructing the tricolour flag of France with the word “Paris” in a field of green. This was YLA’s third year to reach the Can Do Good finals and first year to secure a win.

Both schools were among the top three teams in their divisions following the online voting portion of the competition, advancing them to the finals. The finalists’ entries were then reviewed by a panel of GMC staff and judged based on overall theme, aesthetics, structural soundness, level of difficulty and creativity.

Because of superior excellence demonstrated in all five categories, Davidson and YLA were selected as the winners Davidson accepted the winning check at a presentation on Feb. 1, 2016. in their respective divisions and awarded the title of Best Can Do Good Structure in the Southeast. GMC presented each of the schools with a check for $1,000, in addition to matching their donations to Feeding the Gulf Coast and United Christian Ministries.

Through the 2015-16 Can Do Good Competition, more than 13,550 canned goods and non-perishable food items were donated to food banks and charitable organizations throughout the Southeast.